Yikes. Before I tell you about the atrociously offensive letterMel Gibson allegedly wrote to screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, I will say that Gibson insists the "great majority" of his shocking statements were "fabricated." Personally, I'm inclined to think Gibson is lying, since he's pretty much notorious for being atrociously offensive (often on the record) ... but more on that in a minute.

According to Eszterhas, who wrote the script for Gibson's shelved Maccabbees project, Mel is an equal opportunity hater: In addition to Jewish people, gays and lesbians, and his ex-wives/girlfriends, Gibson loathed the late John Lennon so much that he CELEBRATES his death. Eszterhas quotes Gibson as saying:

"I'm glad he's dead. He deserved to be shot. He was f**king messianic. Listen to his songs! 'Imagine.' I hate that f**king song. I'm glad he's dead."

Actually, Mel, that's a good idea -- let's listen to John Lennon's songs! Let's listen to Lennon's music and read some of his words and compare what the Beatle had to say with some of your more ... um, noteworthy quotes:

1. “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” John Lennon

2. "F*cking Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world… Are you a Jew?" Mel Gibson (to a male police officer)

3. “Love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep on watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.” John Lennon

4. "You look like a f*cking pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n**gers, it will be your fault." Mel Gibson (to ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva)

5. “You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.” John Lennon

6. "I'll apologize when hell freezes over. They can f*ck off." Mel Gibson (referring to GLAAD's suggestion that he apologize for insulting gays and lesbians)

7. “Everything is clearer when you're in love.” John Lennon

8. "I want to f**k her in the ass and stab her while I'm doing it." Mel Gibson (referring to ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva)

Whew! That last one was super-classy, wasn't it? Somehow I have a tough time imagining John "All you need is love" Lennon saying the same of Yoko Ono.

It's sad, really, when you think about the man Mel Gibson used to be -- or at least the man everybody used to think he was. Because the current version of Mel Gibson is absolutely terrifying.